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Who Forrest was named after?
Forrest was named after what his mother called a "War Hero". The person he was named after Nathan Bedford Forrest. Nathan Bedford Forrest was the founder of the Klu Klux Klan. The members of the Klu Klux Klan were white, christian men. The Klu Klux Klan was put together in 1866 and it was meant originally to terrorize black people and strip them from their rights. -
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The Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The US were allies with South Vietnam. The Vietnam war was intensified by the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. More than 3 million people were killed, more than half being Vietnamese civilians and 58,000 being Americans. This war caused division in America. American citizens back home protested against the war. Some of the protest were violent, peaceful, or lead to death. -
Forrest Gump Teaches Elvis Presley How to Dance
Elvis was a truck driver that was staying at Forrest's home. One day in the room Elvis was staying in, Elvis was playing his guitar while Forrest was dancing. Elvis asked Forrest to teach him the dance move. That dance move was the one of his most famous dance move.
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Paul William "Bear" Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was the coach that had recruited Forrest to play on the University of Alabama's football team. At first, he had the record for the most wins in collegiate football history in 1982. In 1986, Bryant was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Coach of the Year was renamed in his honor. -
Collegiate All-American Football Team
Forrest was honored on the Collegiate All-American Football Team. The team went to the White House and met President Kennedy. President Kennedy presented Forrest an award for the teams success. -
The University of Alabama Integration
On June 10, 1963, President Kennedy deployed National Troop to the University of Alabama to desegregate the school. On June 11, 1963, Governor Wallace tried to block the entry for the two black students trying to enroll. The two students, Vivian Malone and James A. Hood, got passed and enrolled successfully. https://youtu.be/JcRpcLy7kfw -
John F. Kennedy's Assassination
Forrest had seen the assassination of President Kennedy on the news. JFK was doing a campaign in Texas the day he was killed. The car turned off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12;30 p.m. When the car passed Texas School Book Depository, the assassin shot JFK in the neck and then in the head, killing him. The assassin also shot the governor in the chest. The assassin name is Lee Harvey Oswald. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw0CHiPpy0o -
Jenny joins the counterculture movement
Jenny had join the hippie movement. She was all about peace and against war. She later on started doing hardcore drugs like cocaine, PCP, LSD, and heroine. This is also the time when diseases like AIDS and HIV started spreading.At the near the end of the movie, Jenny told Forrest that she had AIDS and that she had a short time to live. -
Robert Kennedy's Assassination
Robert Kennedy had just won the California presidential primary when he was shot. He was in Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when e got killed. He was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. Robert Kennedy had died a day later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYLelmN6BA -
The Pentagon Protest
In this scene, Forrest is taking a picture of the White house after just getting back from the war when some protesters mistake him for one of the troops who came to speak at the march. He goes to on the stage and talks about the war but no one heard him because someone unplugged the cords to the speaker. Later on, Forrest also meets the Black Panthers. They were against the war because they believed that African Americans shouldn't be fighting in a war for a country that do not respect them. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
After Forrest recovers from his wound, he learns how to play ping pong. He was in the special service and went around showing veterans how to place ping pong. The army soon decided to put him on the All American Ping Pong Team. He went to China and played against China's Ping Pong team. The Ping Pong Diplomacy actually thawed out the Cold War between America and China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJP5svbymi0 -
The Assassination Attempt on George Wallace
George Wallace was the governor of Alabama and a presidential candidate. He was one of the most controversial candidates. He promised white voters that there would be segregation forever in 1962, but that did not last. George lost four times running for president. During his campaign in Laurel, Maryland, he was shot by Arthur Bremer. One of the bullets left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeSjPGPrVpo -
Watergate Scandal
Forrest got to talk to President Nixon when he visited the White House. When President and Forrest are speaking with each other, Nixon asked Forrest what hotel he was staying and invited him to stay in the Watergate Hotel. When Forrest was at the hotel, he called the security on the room across for him saying that the power went out, because he saw them with flash lights. But what Forrest really saw was the Watergate Scandal happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnSMlAstMc -
Apple
Lieutenant Dan invest his made money made from the shrimping business by creating Apple. The founders of Apple actually are Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company creates different kinds of electronic. -
John Lennon is killed
Forrest also sees the news of John Lennon's death. John Lennon was the lead of The Beatles. He was shot by a fan that was obsessed and envious of John Lennon. Mark David Chapman shot and then beat John Lennon. Lennon died in the Roosevelt hospital.
